CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Mexican duo Pineda and Pizarro eye Champions League group stage with AEK Athens
The Greek champions are on the cusp of a return to the UCL group stage with a win over Royal Antwerp in the final qualification round.
We’ve reached the final play-off round ahead of the 2023-24 Champions League group stage with six sides looking to advance the promised land with the group stage draw scheduled for 31 August in Monaco.
Fresh from winning the Greek league and cup double last season, AEK Athens have recruited Rodolfo Pizarro from Inter Miami and the Mexican joins his compatriot Orbelin Pineda who moved to the Greek capital from Celta Vigo.
Last month AEK Athens permanently signed Pineda from Celta for a fee of €6.5 million, while the player penned a four-year deal until 2027. The club announced the move via their social media channels branding the acquisition as ‘the biggest in the club’s history’.
One step from glory
After a tense third qualifying round game against Dinamo Zagreb with the tie overshadowed by the off field incidents where Croatian hooligans supported by local Panathinaikos fans ambushed a group of AEK supporters on the eve of the first leg causing the death of Michalis Katsouris.
Both legs went ahead with AEK advancing and the incident in Athens led to UEFA banning Zagreb fans from all away travel this season.
Antwerp test for Pineda and Pizarro
Both Mexican players are in the travelling AEK squad that head to Belgium ahead of Tuesday’s first leg with the second game set for Wednesday week.
Pineda and Pizarro both featured in the games against the Croatian champions and new face another tough test against Mark Van Bommel’s Royal Antwerp with the Belgian side bagging their first domestic league title since 1957 in May of this year.